Circle Time Routine

Attendance

Morning Circle Time should always include attendance. Learners are not only familiarizing themselves with the names of their peers, but they are also regularly familiarizing themselves with locating and spelling their own name. In addition to familiarization, attendance invokes a feeling of belonging and strengthens group awareness skills.

For an added benefit, Totetude suggests including a portrait along with each learner’s name. Name and face recognition among peers will become much easier to achieve with daily practice.

Calendar with Events

Morning Circle Time should include a calendar that displays the day/month/year. It is also important to display the days of the week and today/yesterday/tomorrow. Events should be added in advance to prepare learners for upcoming birthdays, holidays, field trips, parties, special guests, etc.

Weather Discussion

Morning Circle Time should include a discussion about the weather. Learners should know the season, the daily weather conditions (sunny/cloudy/windy/rainy), and the temperature (hot/cold/warm/chilly). Discussion should lead to the appropriate clothing to wear or the proper accessories to have (rain boats/umbrella/sunglasses/sunscreen) for that day. In addition, a learner can have a classroom job to go to the window and report back to the group on the current weather conditions.